Richard Nkosi and Lynette Louw

Two prisoners serving long sentences escaped from the Barberton Juvenile Center of Excellence situated in town last Thursday.

According to Reuben Mvula, correctional services spokesman, Given Mashego (22) and Henry Mnisi (19) escaped at about 12:30 while they were out working with other inmates.

Mashego who was originally from Bushbuckridge is serving a 45-years sentence for attempted murder and rape. He was arrested in 2008.

Mnisi hails from Phola Park near White River is serving 40-years for housebreaking, theft and robbery.

Mvula said the two escaped by sliding underneath the taut wire-fence system and cutting the outside perimeter fence.  The men used side cutter brush-cuts that they were using to mow the lawn, to cut the fence.

“Correctional service members who guarded the inmates only realized after 30-minutes that something was wrong. They did a head count and found that two were missing. Other members were alerted and a manhunt was launched,” he said.

A large group of officers were dispatched starting at the adjacent golf course searching for the escapees. They scanned the area down to Emjindini but could not find the men.

However, gun-shots were fired late afternoon as well as around midnight.

According to one of the members a shot was fired in the vicinity of the Emjindini cemetery around 17:00.

A young man was allegedly spotted running through the cemetery. They though he might be one of the escapees and a warning shot was fired. The young man stopped running and when questioned they discovered that he was just jogging. It could not be confirmed if the shot heard around midnight had anything to do with the escapees.

Mvula was questioned about allegations made that the electrified fence around the prison hasn’t been operational for nearly a year. He rejected the allegations as not true and said that the fence was not electrified but works with sensors.

Members of correctional services who don’t want their names mentioned told Barberton Times said that they were not happy about the way the escape happened and how it was handled. According to one the inmates weren’t out working but allegedly watching television. “We as members didn’t even know about the escape at the time,” one of them said.
Mvula warned the public not to approach the men when they see them but rather to report it to the nearest police station or by phoning the crime stop number on 08600-10111. He said an internal investigation will also be done to determine how the prisoners could have escaped.

At the time of going to press they were still at large.

Collen KIompie Makhubedu

Henry Mnisi